Municipal swimming pools of Castromonte
Architect: Óscar Miguel Ares
Year: 2021
Location: Castromonte (Valladolid), Spain
Category: Swimming pool / Sport
Status: Built
About
In the comarca of Montes Torozos, amid wheat fields and by the river Bajoz, Castomonte in the province of Valladolid features a stretch of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route that comes from Madrid, and has a census count of 309. Using its wind-power fields, the town has undertaken a series of projects designed to regain population, including swimming pools, municipal plots for housing, an eatery, and a plan to address the needs of people with mobility problems. The design of the municipal pools combines tradition and mechanics by using uncarved stone to erect long boundary walls, recalling the earth barriers and fences that identified the municipality, with a reinterpretation of wind-power infrastructures transferred to a roof formed by prefabricated beams. While the building’s floor plan shows a succession of parallel masonry walls, the roof is set transversally with respect to the massive wall-buildings.